Midfielder closes on Bridge exit

Steve Sidwell is undergoing a medical at Aston Villa on Wednesday with a view to completing a £5m switch from Chelsea.

A deal for the midfielder has been in place all summer but Villa boss Martin O'Neill has only just got around to tying up a deal for the former Reading star, who has been told he does not have a future at Chelsea.

The two clubs are thought to have agreed the fee some time ago and now it is just a matter of Sidwell agreeing personal terms and passing a medical this morning before a deal can be rubberstamped.

There were fears that Newcastle could hijack the deal by making a late bid but O'Neill appears to have the player in the bag with a deal set to be announced in the next 24 hours.